5 - Who was in Led Zeppelin?

James Patrick Page (b. 9 January 1944 in Heston, Middlesex)
"Pagey" -- All guitars, effects, theramin, backing vocals.
John Baldwin (John Paul Jones) (b. 3 January 1946 in Sidcup,
Kent) "Jonesy" -- Bass, some guitars, keyboards, backing
vocals.
John Henry Bonham (b. 31 May 1948 in Redditch, Worcestershire,
d. 25 September 1980 Windsor) "Bonzo" -- Drums and percussion,
occasional backing vocals (as on "The Ocean.")
Robert Anthony Plant (b. 20 August 1948 West Bromwich,
Staffordshire) "Percy" -- Vocals, backing vocals.

Zeppelin's manager was Peter Grant, and their road manager for the
majority of their tours was Richard Cole.
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6 - How and when did John Bonham die?

On 24 September 1980, Bonham left Worcestershire to meet with the
group at Bray studios for rehearsals for the upcoming US tour.
He consumed a steady diet of quadruple screwdrivers along the way.
After the rehearsals, the band retreated to Page's Windsor house,
where Bonham continued to drink and then passed out. At around
1:45pm on 25 September, sound technician and Plant roadie Benji Le
Fevre checked on Bonham to find out why he hadn't stirred. There
was no pulse. A doctor arrived and pronounced Bonham dead at the
scene. A subsequent coroner's inquest revealed the cause of death
to be accidental -- Bonham choked on his own vomit after drinking
the equivalent of 40 measures of vodka. Alcohol poisoning may
have been involved, but was not positively determined. On
4 December 1980, Led Zeppelin issued the following statement:

"We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the
deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of
undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us
to decide that we could not continue as we were."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
7 - When and where was Led Zeppelin formed?

A brief chronology:

Jimmy Page joins The Yardbirds in June of 1966, first playing
bass, then dual lead guitar with Jeff Beck, then replacing Beck
in November of the same year. In December, John Paul Jones does
string arrangements for The Yardbirds' album _Little Games_.

In 1967, Robert Plant and John Bonham come together in The Band
Of Joy. In March of the same year, Jeff Beck releases a solo
single entitled "Hi Ho Silver Lining," which is backed with a
Page composition entitled "Beck's Bolero". This song is recorded
by Page, Beck, Nicky Hopkins, John Paul Jones, and Keith Moon.
At this session Moon and John Entwistle, who are tired of The
Who's infighting, discuss forming a band with Page and Beck. It
is here that Moon announces that they should call the group Lead
Zeppelin, because, "...it'll go over like a ***in' lead balloon!"
(The "a" was later removed from "Lead" so that Americans would
pronounce it correctly.) (John Entwistle claims that it was _he_,
not Moon, who invented the name. Entwistle:

"Led Zeppelin is a good name, isn't it? I made it up. Everybody
says Keith Moon made it up, but he didn't. About four years ago
I was realy getting fed up with the Who.... And I was talking
with a fellow who is the production manager for the Led Zeppelin
now. I was talking to him down in a club in New York. And I
said, 'Yeah, I'm thinking of leaving the group and forming my own
group. I'm going to call the group Led Zeppelin. And I'm going
to have a an LP cover with like the Hindenburg going down in
flames, and, you know, this whole business.' And like two months
later he was working for Jimmy Page and, like, they were looking
for a name, and so he suggested Led Zeppelin, and Page liked it,
and they came out with the same LP cover that I'd planned."

This "production manager" would have been Richard Cole, which
suggests that Cole was responsible for naming Led Zeppelin.
However, in the absence of definitive proof either way the Keith
Moon version will stand.)

In April of 1968, Page plays on Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (with
Jones arranging). Jones asks to be part of any new group Page may
be forming. The Band Of Joy breaks up in May. On 22 June 1968, it
is announced that Keith Relf and Jim McCarty are leaving The
Yardbirds. In August, Page, Yardbirds' bassist Chris Dreja, and
Peter Grant travel to Birmingham to see Plant in a group called
Hobbstweedle. Plant is offered the vocalist's job in Page's new
band in August, after visiting Page's home. In the same month,
Dreja leaves the project and is replaced by Jones. Plant then
recommends Bonham for drums, and a tireless personal and telegram
campaign convinces Bonham to turn down more lucrative offers from
the likes of Tim Rose and Joe Cocker. In September, the four play
their first rehearsals at Gerrard Street, London. Beginning
September 14 they embark on their first tour, still billed as the
New Yardbirds. They record _Led Zeppelin I_ in October, and play
their first gig as Led Zeppelin at Surrey University October 17.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
8 - What albums has Led Zeppelin released?

This discography follows the format:

_Title_ (release date) Label (artist, if not the subject of the
discography)
Song Title One, Song Title Two...

A list of videos.

Any other relevant information.

The following is by no means a complete discography, but covers
the principal releases of the band in the US. Singles are, in
all but one case, ignored. For a more complete discography
consult Dave Lewis' _A Celebration_.

_Led Zeppelin_ (January 1969) Atlantic
Good Times Bad Times, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, You Shook
Me, Dazed & Confused, Your Time Is Gonna Come, Black
Mountain Side, Communication Breakdown, I Can't Quit You
Baby, How Many More Times

_Three Week Hero_ (April 1969) Liberty/Beat Goes On (P.J. Proby)
Jim's Blues

This album is noted because all four members of Zeppelin appear
on the listed track.

_Led Zeppelin II_ (October 1969) Atlantic
Whole Lotta Love, What Is And What Should Never Be, The
Lemon Song, Thank You, Heartbreaker, Livin' Lovin' Maid
(She's Just A Woman), Ramble On, Moby Dick, Bring It On Home

This album is sometimes called "The Brown Bomber"--a reference to
the color and theme of the cover.

_Led Zeppelin III_ (October 1970) Atlantic
Immigrant Song, Friends, Celebration Day, Since I've Been
Loving You, Out On The Tiles, Gallows Pole, Tangerine,
That's The Way, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Hats Off To (Roy) Harper

On some pressings of this album, an Aleister Crowley quote is
scribed into the runoff matrix of the vinyl (the space between the
last groove and the label). There are also some forged versions of
this pressing.

"Immigrant Song" b/w "Hey Hey What Can I Do" (1970) Atlantic
US Single

This exists on cassingle and CD single as well.

_Untitled_ (November 1971) Atlantic
Black Dog, Rock And Roll, The Battle Of Evermore, Stairway
To Heaven, Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, Going To
California, When The Levee Breaks

The original album had no band or title identification anywhere on
the cover _or_ inside, with the exception of the "Produced by Jimmy
Page" credit on the inside jacket and the printed lyrics to "Stairway
To Heaven."

_Untitled_ (September 1988) HMV Classic Collection
3500-copy limited edition boxed version of the fourth album.

_The New Age Of Atlantic_ (May 1972) Atlantic (various artists)
Hey Hey What Can I Do

_Houses Of The Holy_ (March 1973) Atlantic
The Song Remains The Same, The Rain Song, Over The Hills And
Far Away, The Crunge, Dancing Days, D'yer Mak'er, No
Quarter, The Ocean

The odd colors on this album cover are a printing error.

_Physical Graffiti_ (February 1975) Swan Song
Custard Pie, The Rover, In My Time Of Dying, Trampled
Underfoot, Houses Of The Holy, Kashmir, In The Light,
Bron-Yr-Aur, Down By The Seaside, Ten Years Gone, Night
Flight, The Wanton Song, Boogie With Stu, Black Country
Woman, Sick Again

The building on the cover is at 97 St. Mark's Place in New York
City. There is currently a used clothing store in the basement
called Physical Graffiti.

_Presence_ (April 1976) Swan Song
Achilles Last Stand, For Your Life, Royal Orleans, Nobody's
Fault But Mine, Candy Story Rock, Hots On For Nowhere, Tea
For One

_Soundtrack From The Film The Song Remains The Same_ (October
1976) Swan Song
Rock And Roll, Celebration Day, The Song Remains The Same,
The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused, No Quarter, Stairway To
Heaven, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love

_In Through The Out Door_ (August 1979) Swan Song
In The Evening, South Bound Suarez, Fool In The Rain, Hot
Dog, Carouselambra, All My Love, I'm Gonna Crawl

_Coda_ (November 1982) Swan Song
We're Gonna Groove, Poor Tom, I Can't Quit You Baby,
Walter's Walk, Ozone Baby, Darlene, Bonzo's Montreaux,
Wearing And Tearing

_Led Zeppelin_ (4CD boxed set) (October 1990) Atlantic
Selections from the studio albums, with the addition of "Hey
Hey What Can I Do," a live in-studio "White Summer/Black
Mountain Side," a live in-studio "Traveling Riverside
Blues," and a Page amalgamation of "Moby Dick" and "Bonzo's
Montreaux". All tracks remastered from the lowest-generation
tapes available by Jimmy Page and George Marino.

Videos for "Over The Hills And Far Away" and "Traveling Riverside
Blues" were released. The videos are a mixture of conceptual
footage and carefully edited clips from a variety of live videos
(some clearly _not_ from _The Song Remains The Same_--such as the
Knebworth footage).

_Remasters_ (2CD boxed set) (October 1990) Atlantic
The non-US version of the 4CD set, later released in the
States. Condensed "greatest hits" package of the remastered
material, with the addition of "Good Times Bad Times" (not on
the 4CD set). Some editions contain _Profiled_, an interview
with the band.

_Boxed Set 2_ (2CD boxed set) (September 1993) Atlantic
Remastered versions of all the material not on the 4CD set,
plus "Baby Come On Home," an unreleased track from the _I_
sessions.

_Led Zeppelin--The Complete Studio Recordings_ (10CD boxed set)
Atlantic (September 1993)
Remastered versions of the original 9 studio recordings with
the original cover art, in a case. All the "previously
unreleased" material appearing on the other sets is tacked
on to the end of _Coda_, with the exception of the "Moby Dick"/
"Bonzo's Montreaux" marriage. The cover depicts the inside
of a Zeppelin.
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9 - What videos has the band released?

This videography will cover major, _legal_ releases. Videos listed
in quotations do not appear in any known compilations.

Led Zeppelin:
-------------

_The Song Remains The Same_ (1976--released 1984) Warner Video
Autumn Lake, Bron-Y-Aur, Rock And Roll, Black Dog, Since
I've Been Loving You, The Song Remains The Same, The Rain
Song, Stairway To Heaven, Dazed And Confused, Moby Dick,
Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, Stairway To Heaven

Directed by Joe Massot and Peter Clifton, recorded live at Madison
Square Garden July 27, 28, and 29, 1973, and at various locations.
Released to theaters in 1976. It may be reworked in the future.
Page: "I wouldn't mind paying some attention to the laser disc and
video, as well."

_Supershow_ (September 1986) Virgin Vision (various)
Dazed And Confused

Recorded live at Staines Studios on March 25, 1969. More songs
were probably performed, but remain unreleased.

_Rock Aid Armenia_ (November 1989) Virgin Video (various)
Dazed & Confused, Satisfaction Guaranteed

"Dazed" is from the Supershow footage, "SG" is from the Firm.

_The First Cuts_ (1990)
Outtakes from TSRTS. Recalled.

"Over The Hills And Far Away" (October 1990) Atlantic Video

"Traveling Riverside Blues" (October 1990) Atlantic Video

These videos are a mixture of conceptual footage and carefully-
edited clips from a variety of live videos (some clearly _not_
from _The Song Remains The Same_--such as the Knebworth footage).

Jimmy Page:
-----------

_Royal Albert Hall ARMS Concert Part 2_ (1983) Videoform (various)
Prelude, Who's To Blame, City Sirens, Stairway To Heaven,
Tulsa Time, Layla, Goodnight Irene

Part of a two tape set, Page appears on the above tracks. Also
see below.

"Sea Of Love" (November 1984) Atlantic Video (The Honeydrippers)

Page does not actually appear in the video.

_The Firm Live At Hammersmith 1984_ (1985) Atlantic Video (The
Firm)

Live footage from two Firm dates in December 1984. Promo only--
was not released for sale.

"These Arms Of Mine" (1985) Decca (Willie & The Poorboys)

_Five From The Firm_ (1986) Atlantic Home Video (The Firm)
Tear Down The Walls, Satisfaction Guaranteed, All The King's
Horses, Radioactive, Live In Peace

Extremely hard to find, even when it was new.

"Wasting My Time" (June 1988) Geffen Video

_Knebworth: The Event Vol. 3_ (1990) Castle Video (various)
Wearing And Tearing, Rock And Roll

Part of a longer concert, Page appears on the listed tracks.

_The ARMS Concert_ (1991) Rhino (various artists)
Prelude, Who's To Blame, City Sirens, Stairway To Heaven,
Tulsa Time, Layla, Goodnight Irene

A single-tape version of the one listed above. Page appears on
the listed tracks.

"Pride & Joy" (March 1993) Geffen Video (Coverdale/Page)

"Take Me For A Little While" (July 1993) Geffen Video
(Coverdale/Page)

Robert Plant:
-------------
"Little Sister" (January 1980) Swan Song/Atlantic Video (Rockpile)

Live performance from the Rock For Kampuchea concert.

"Burning Down One Side" (June 1982) Swan Song/Atlantic Video

_Prince's Trust Rock Gala_ (1984) MGA/UA (various artists)
Worse Than Detroit, I Wanna Take You Higher

Part of a longer concert, Plant appears on the listed tracks.

"Sea Of Love" (November 1984) Atlantic Video (The Honeydrippers)

"Rockin' At Midnight" (November 1984) Atlantic Video (The
Honeydrippers)

"Pink & Black" (May 1985) Atlantic Video

"Heaven Knows" (March 1988) Atlantic Video

"Ship Of Fools" (March 1988) Atlantic Video

_Mumbo Jumbo_ (1989) Warner Video
Heaven Knows, Big Log, Little By Little, In The Mood, Tall
Cool One (plus additional footage)

"Hurting Kind (I've Got My Eyes On You)" (March 1990) Atlantic
Video

"Nirvana" (March 1990) Atlantic Video

_Knebworth: The Event Vol. 3_ (1990) Castle Video (various)
Hurting Kind, Tall Cool One, Wearing And Tearing, Rock And
Roll

Part of a longer concert, Plant appears on the listed tracks.

_The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert_ (1992) Buena Vista Home Video
(various)
Kashmir intro, Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Plant also performed Thank You and Innuendo, though they do not
appear on the video.

"Calling To You" (June 1993) Atlantic Video

"29 Palms" (1993) Atlantic Video

"I Believe" (1993) Atlantic Video

John Paul Jones:
----------------

_Give My Regards To Broad Street_ (1988) CBS Fox (movie)

Jones appears in the "Ballroom Dancing" segment.

"Do You Take This Man?" (September 1994) Mute Video (Diamanda Galas
& John Paul Jones)
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10 - Should I buy the boxed sets? Which one(s) should I buy?

The sound quality of the newly remastered material is incredibly
improved over the original US CD releases. For that reason alone
any of them are worth getting. And the combination of the two
principal sets _or_ the "complete" set gives one all the studio
material in remastered form. As for the "unreleased" material--
"HHWCID" is available on the "Immigrant Song" single, "Traveling
Riverside Blues" is a staple of AOR radio, and there are many
versions of "White Summer" superior to the one released on the set,
so that should not be the deciding factor. The packaging of the
sets, from cover art to liner notes, is incredible.

However, the release of the newly-remastered "original" CDs has
made this choice a difficult one. Basically, it comes down to
the presence of the "unreleased" material (which does _not_ appear
on the individually remastered _Coda_), a choice of packaging,
and the order in which one wants to hear the songs. The cost of
getting one of the boxed set combinations will almost assuredly
be less than the eventual total cost of the individual CDs.

The purchase of the original, unremastered CDs is not recommended
due to their poor sound quality.